HPPH Picks: Oppenheimer

Nolan's classic non-linear chronology kept things interesting throughout, leaving us to piece together the story behind history's most infamous scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the atom bomb. The structure left me feeling jolted and dizzied in the same way Oppenheimer might have felt as his life was interrogated in minute detail in the courtroom. His story is a fascinating one to begin with, but Nolan has elevated it with masterful cinematic techniques.

Nolan presents Oppenheimer's PTSD in a way that's almost too palpable, I couldn't help but share in his stress largely due to the haunting score and visceral use of sound, such as the recurring stomping of feet. Visually it's disturbingly spectacular. In a similar way to how captivated I was by Katia and Maurice Krafft's dangerous but stunning footage of volcanic eruptions in The Fire Within, I couldn't help but be stunned by the chaotic explosions on display in Oppenheimer. It's terrifying to think we're so precariously close to being engulfed in such chaos, with over 12500 nuclear weapons in the world today and around 2000 ready for use at short notice. It was fascinating to hear from Yorkshire CND after the screening I attended at the Picture House. If, like me, you leave the film amazed but disturbed, I recommend checking out their website to see how you can contribute to making a difference in a scarily nuclear world.